Steering-gear.



H. PARKHURST. STEERING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED $153.6, 1911. ]L @F@ fi1% I Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

V AWQ/ ll ti tttl slicing connected tocether STEERING-GEAR.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application filed l ebruer'y 6, 1911. Serial No. newt-e Joell whom it may concern: I

Be it known that l, l-lAnLnIori PARK- iemns'r, a citizen of the United States, residing in Walpole, in the county ol. Cheshire, State of New Hampshire, have invented on improvement in Steering-Gear, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying Cll'itWlIlgS, isa, specification,

lilto letters. on the drowings representing like parts.

'lE'he present invention relates to c steering gene for traction engines, and is mainly intended fQJt use. with traction engines such on etc now used tor forming, other. purposes, the invention relating mninlyto on uutoiuntic steering device which is adopted to eteer the engine without etteution, it there is oily verticol abutment on the surface which can be used as a guide, on which can he. guided by the operator in steering the engine, it so desired.

lin accordance. with the invention, the main engine steering wheels are mounted on l nuciiles out the ends est a rigid front mile, the tillucltlcs. having vertical hearings and by a, cross link often the. Inenner oi the steei'inp; gear now commonly employed; in automobile construction, When. the engine, is to be steered in the rd norv ei es for examp e, en lioulingt clone; the reed, or traveling" from nii'jolee to "whet preporetory to being used ior plowing or similar purposes, one oi? the steering knuckles nnjv he connected the ondi tni 'y way with e sector to he op-- erntedhy n worm through c steering wheel of the ordinary construction. It, however, the. engine is to he steered automatically so, for eno nple, as to. tollow a previously made ifurrow in plowin gf, or any other abutment, the sector member may he dieconnected from the steering knuckle and connected with a controlling member which is adopted to opht'tittt} o sn ol l steening oi," guide wheel, as

' it new loiecolled, which projects :t'orword of the engine forthe purpose ofengeging" in the, furrow end causing the englne to follow the line of the some. The function of the guide wheel, when used in this Way, is not directly to guide the mochlne by its own tracking, but to act-through its own lateral movement produced by following the :turnow, in turning the main steering wheels of the machine. 'lthe small guide -wheel is nl own, as having on inclined or beveled peni oheny end is eel; so no to tune inward toand many word the edge ofthe furrow, so that it will tend continuolly to climb up the furrow, being, however, forced back by the weight of the frame in which it is carried, so that it keeps-in the furrow, hut follows closely the edge thereof. The guide wheel is mounted on o knuckle at one end of o sub.- stnnl lolly triangular :treme, one member of which is pivotnliy connected at the front of the nuicl ine at the iniltt side oi one of the steering wheels, while the other member is. pivoted on the wheel spindle at the other side of the said steering wheel, so that the. swinging movement of the frame produced by the lateral ploy of the small guide wheel causes the steering wheel with which the frame is connected to turn and control the direction in which the engine is to travel. The guide wheel is mounted on at vertical pivot in. the frame, and is connected with the steering post oi. the engine, so that it can be utilized in inanus lly as well as outomuticu-lly steering the engine. the guide wheel tracks like any steering wheel in the direction in which it is turned, but acts on the regular steering: wheels, as nhove explain-ed.

Figure l a ton p on view of a, steering gear showing a sufficient portion oi the frame of a traction engine to illnstnute the relation of the steering gear thereto i ig. 2 a, side elevation of the some; .lfig, 3 1s trout view of the steering" gear and pori tion oi the frame on a lo 'gcr scale,

The piriinery steering; oi the engine is produced through the agency of the front steering wheels a; mounted on verticol knuckles a at the ends of the front axle Z, the said lmucltles liinving-rudiol urine a con" nected together l. means of e. link or connecting rod a. or o imu-y steering purposes, one of the lmuchies, or the connecting rod itself, may connected wih steering arm which is shown. us located below the frame [t oi? the machine, acid, arm 0 be ing plwOtieC l on a vertical pin ncl provided with u sector c which is eng. god by a, horimental worm (Z. The said MOI!!! d is pgcovidcd with bevel gear cl which ineshec with n bevel gem at the i hack to the rear of the machine,

A suit-able connection between the arm c and one of the. knuckle orms to. iceherein, indicated in dotted lines .1}, this connection being neniovcd when the automatic In this use,

end oit the-usual steering post 6 which is shown as, extended previously steering apparatus is to be einployed. In order to steer the engine automatically for plowing, or other purposes, so that the engine will follow a previously made line of depression without attention on the part of the operator, the steering apparatus is provided, in accordance with the invention, with a supplemental guide-wheel j, which is shown as a small wheel which preferably has a sharpened or beveled rim 7, the said wheel being mounted on a frame which projects forward ofthe engine, and has a lateral projection to support the wheel a little to one side of the path of travel of the engine itself. In plowing, for example, if the machine is traveling adjacent to a made furrow, the guide wheel will project forward and will lie in the furrow, and if the wheel is inclined slightly inward from alinement with the main wheels, it is obvious that it will tend to travel toment. The tendency to continue in this direction, and climb out, however, is overcome by the weight of the frame to which the wheel is attached, which is sufficient to hold the wheel down, so that the wheel merely remains in contact with the side of the furrow, whether the same is straight or not. It is obvious, therefore, that if there are deviations from a straight line along the path of the furrow, or similar abutment, the movement of the wheel f which is produced thereby will swing the frame in which the wheel is carried, and correspondingly turn themain steering wheels controlled by the frame.

In the construction shown, the frame, to which the wheel f is connected, consists of the two side members 9 and 9 the member 9 being pivotally connected at with the front axle Z), between the steering wheels a, and at the other end with the lateral projecting member 9 which carries the wheel f; The member 9 is pivotally connected at one end with the member g, and at the opposite end with the hub a at the outside of one of the main engine steering wheels 01. The several parts of the frame are connected by universal joints so that the frame is free to play up and down with the irregularities of the ground, the weight thereof, however, being suiiicicnt to hold the guide wheel f down in its place. It is obvious that any lateral movement of the guide wheel will be imparted to the frame, and that since the said frame pivots at 9 it will produce, in its lateral movement, a slight longitudinal movement of the member g which is imparted to the hub o of the engine steering wheel, causing the said wheel to turn on the knuckle joints. This turning, or steering, movement is imparted in the usual way to the opposite steering ing wheel f may different conditions, the said wheel itself is mounted on a knuckle f in a socket g of the frame member 9*, provided with aradial arm f connected by a link f with an arm j which is pivoted in the front axle 5 cent to the steering knuckle a rod 72 is provided with an arm F0 at its upper end which connects necting the said arm with the sector arm 0. The wheel f, vertical axis to vary its the action of the steering rod 0 at any time, whether prior to the starting of the machine or during the travel link is is herein shown as connected with the automatic guide wheel, it is obvious that the sector arm 0 with the knuckle when it is desired to change from one method of steering to the other.

matic devices, if the I wheel, thus causing the engine to follow the path in which the wheel f.

t is steered by the action of In order that the inclinationof the steer be readily varied to suit and the knuckle is on a vertical rod ii adja- The said with a link 70 con can be turned on its therefore,

inclination, through thereof. While the the same link may be utilized to connect main steering The steering device above described is eX-' tremely simple and eficient, and very little trouble is required to disconnect the autoengine is to be driven any distance along the road, or is to be engaged in the performance of any work in which the automatic steering device is not required. Furthermore, the guide-wheel is entirely efficient in ordinary steering, the frame which holds the wheel havin sufficient weight to give the wheel su cient frictional contact with the ground to make it travel in the direction it is turned, and guide the main steering wheel accordingly. It is obvious that the means for connecting the steering frame controlled by the guide wheel with the steering wheel may be departing from the invention, it being obvlous that any connection between the steering frame and the main steering knuckle which causes the later'al swing of the frame due to, the guide wheel to steer the will fully answer the purpose.

What I claim is: 1. In a steering gear for traction engines,

the combination with the steering wheels machine a guide wheel; a. frame for said guide wheel, a part of which is pivotally connected to the front of the traction engine frame; and a link forming another part of said frame for the guide wheel, said link being pivotally connected with an axial projection from one of the steering wheels.

3. In a steering gear for traction engines, the combination with the steering wheels mounted on vertically pivoted knuckles; of a guide wheel projecting forwardly beyond said steering wheels and being adapted to bear laterally against a guiding surface; a frame for said guide wheel; universal joints connecting part of said frame with the front of the traction engine frame; a link forming another part of said frame; anda pivotal connection between said link and an axial projection from one of the steering wheels.

4. In a steering gear for traction engines, the combination with steering wheels mounted on vertically pivoted knuckles; of a guide wheel projecting forward of the engine wheels; a trimigular frame for said guide wheel a part of which ispivotally connected to the traction engine frame; a link forming another part of said frame, and also constituting a connection between said frame and an axial projection from one of the engine steering wheels; and means for turning said guide wheel in a direction transverse to its axis to a position out of alinement with the engine wheels.

5. In a steering gear for traction engines, the combination with the main steering Wheels of the traction engine, mounted on knuckles; of a triangular steering frame one member of which is pivoted to the front of the engine frame; a guide wheel mounted on a vertical axis at the end of said steering frame; an elbow lever on the engine frame; a link connecting the knuckle of the guide wheel to said elbow lever;'an arm-connected to the elbow lever; a steering rod geared to said arm; and a link forming the other member of the triangular steering frame, and constituting the means for connecting the said frame to the hub ofone of the main steering wheels.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARLEIGH PARKHURST.

Witnesses:

C. L. STURTEVANT, MARGARET R. WRIGHT.

I Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). G. a 

